


Two Halves of a Spirit

by trustdrogon



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Bending, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Firefighters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-11 18:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15321684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trustdrogon/pseuds/trustdrogon
Summary: Soulmate Prompt:Your world is black and white until you see your soulmate. Once you meet your soulmate, you see color.





	1. A One-Sided Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm new to writting and english isn't my first language so please bear with me!

 

The first time Lin ever laid eyes on her, she’s unconscious and lying on the floor in the middle of the room surrounded by flames. The apartment building was on fire; what she assumed was  _her_  apartment was on fire, and it was spreading faster with every passing second, the heat getting more intense. There was a chance that the building would collapse on them at any time and she had to move, and quickly, if there was any hope of the both of them getting out of there alive. And as dire as the situation was, she has to take a moment.

Because from the moment she laid her eyes on the woman in front of her, her world which had been previously black and white, suddenly turned to color – bright, vivid, and  _overwhelming_.

Her eyes burned as she stood there, staring at the scene in front of her. Colors of orange, yellow, and red were dancing along the walls as the fire blistered and branded, leaving darken charcoal lumps of wood behind.  It was almost unbelievable that she would discover her  _soulmate_  at a time like this, in the middle of a life threatening situation, and she wasn’t even awake for it. And she was  _stunning_. Beautiful. Breath-taking. Already Lin was itching to run her hands through her hair, wishing her eyes were open so that she could see what color they were.

There were many theories on the soulmate phenomenon, each one differing from the next. But no matter the different theories, there was always one tried and true factor. You were born color-blind, seeing only black and white, and various shades of gray, until you found your soulmate. The moment you found your soulmate was the moment you saw the world in color. For some, it was instant. One look was all it took. For others, it was a slow burn. You could be friends with someone for years, never seeing color, and then one day it could all change in an instant. No one could pin down how it all worked exactly.

A piece of ceiling tile fell and landed near the woman’s head and Lin snapped to attention. She quickly glanced around and pulled a blanket  _(brown,_ she noted _)_ from her couch that was still untouched by the rapidly spreading fire. She knelt by her, leaning down to carefully lift her into her arms. She wrapped the blanket fully around her as she cradled her to her chest and then scoop her into her arms.

She could feel the heat from the flames engulfing her from behind as she made her way down two flights of stairs. Her heart was pounding all the way as she hurried, her senses alive with the knowledge that she was currently carrying her soulmate and the need to get her to safety. Another minute, and she finally made it outside, bolting to where the ambulances and paramedics were. Coughing violently, Lin carefully placed the unconscious woman down on a gurney and pulled off her mask.

“I found her passed out on the floor,” Lin gasped, as she continued to cough. "Please help her!"

“We can take it from here, Chief,” Ming, one of the EMTs quickly took over and she reluctantly let the woman go, already feeling incredibly protective of her. She moved out of the way and Ming placed a stethoscope to the woman’s chest, listening for a moment. “She’s still breathing! I need an oxygen mask here!”

She watched as the EMTs worked, her eyes stuck onto the still woman in front of her, unable to look away. It was strange how quickly her world had changed in a span of a few hours. She’d gone from sleeping peacefully in bed, to fighting a fire, to  _finding her soulmate_. Under the dim lighting of the street lights, she could see that her hair was silver, and her skin covered with grime and soot. There was an oxygen mask strapped to her face and from her vantage point, she could see the little breaths of air puffing up against the plastic. She was beyond worried about her, beyond scared for her, and she didn’t even know her name.

“Chief,” another EMT, Jian, came up to her and pulled her aside. “Come on, Chief. We gotta check you out also. We need to make sure you didn’t inhale too much smoke.”

She allowed herself to be pulled away, her eyes still on the silver headed woman. Jian worked diligently, and there was a comfortable silence between the two of them as he checked Lin over. Lin watched as Ming and another EMT helped the woman into the back of the ambulance and the doors shut. She turned to Jian. “Are they going to the hospital?”

Jian nodded. “Yeah, the woman you found had a lot of smoke inhalation, and what looks to be a sprain on her left ankle. Our guess is that she was probably trying to escape the fire and tripped somehow. She needs to be put under observation for a couple days at least.” He leaned back and gave Lin a smile. “It looks like you’re gonna be okay. You should be proud, Chief. You saved that woman’s life.”

She managed to give Jian a smile and nodded as the EMT moved on to check on someone else. She glanced behind her, at the apartment building that now had dark, black smoke billowing out into the air. The last of the fire was now dying out, the chaos calming down.

“Lin.”

She turned at the sound of her name and found her partner walking towards her. She stared at Kun standing in his fireman’s uniform, noticing new details for the first time now that she could see color. “Did you know your eyes are blue?” she blurted out. "They're like,  _really_  blue."

“What?” Kun looked at her in confusion and then his eyes widened. “Holy shit! Did you meet your soulmate? And don’t say it’s me, because I hate to break it to you, it’ll be a one-sided love story. I still see no color at all.”

“You wish you could be so lucky as to have me as your soulmate,” Lin rolled her eyes. “No, you jerk. There was a woman in that building.”

“The one you brought out?”

“Yeah. I found her unconscious on the floor. As soon as I saw her, everything turned to color.”

Kun whooped, clapping her on the shoulder. “You found your soulmate! This is great!”

It was starting to sink in. The shock of it all had finally started to subside and now she was beginning to process all of the emotions that were flooding her. The slight fear lingering in the back of her mind and thanking her lucky stars that she’d managed to find her in time. How close she’d come to losing her and not knowing it, scared her beyond belief. She was worried about her, hoping that she wasn’t hurt too badly. And even though she was worried, she was excited too. She couldn’t wait to meet her and introduce herself to her properly. “I need to shower,” she said, slowly. “And then I need to get to the hospital.”

“Lin, it’s the middle of the night.”

“As if I could fall asleep now! Kun, I don’t even know her name! I need to make sure she’s alright. I want to be there when she wakes up.”

Kung sighed. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”

“No,” she objected. “Like you said, it’s the middle of the night. You should go home and sleep.”

“And leave you to deal with this all on your own? No deal. I know you, boss. You’re going to be sitting in the waiting room and drive yourself crazy all night.”

Lin half smiled, suddenly glad that Kun knew her well. He was right. And she was glad to be able to have some support. “Thanks, Kun.”

“I’m with you till the end of the line, boss.” Kun threw an arm around her shoulders and together they began walking back to where the rest of their team stood. “Can’t believe you met your soulmate! Hey, do you think she has hot friends to hook me up with?”

Lin chuckled. “Let me actually meet her first and then we’ll see.”

 


	2. Can't Fight This Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for all the support!

By the time Lin went home, showered, changed, and made it to the hospital, it was nearing four in the morning. She fretted the entire way, with Kun trying to keep her calm with idle chatter from the driver’s seat as he drove the both of them there. It was almost impossible to keep up the conversation with her best friend, when her soulmate was currently who knows where in the hospital. Lin just couldn’t sit still, couldn’t focus on anything other than her, and filled to the brim with anticipation and worry. When they’d arrived, she practically bolted from Kun’s car before her friend barely had the chance to put the vehicle in park and she was running towards the entrance doors like her life depended on it.

There was just one problem.

The woman had no identification on her when she had been admitted to the hospital and therefore was currently listed as ‘Jane Doe’ on her forms. Hospital policy dictated that no persons outside of family were allowed any information on any patient at any given time, if they weren’t given permission. At the moment, they were waiting for the Police Department to come forward with any information they could find and her landlord to be contacted.

Therefore, Lin still had no idea what her name was, where she was from, nor did she currently have any family members at her door to tell her such knowledge.

Sensing Lin’s increasing frustration with the nurse, Kun stepped forward and lightly pushed his friend out of the way. He leaned over the counter and gave her the best charming smile that he could muster. “Listen…” he began, quickly glancing at her name tag and then pulling out his wallet to show her his firefighter’s ID. “Xia. We’re both firefighters with the Republic City Fire Department and we helped put out the fire that happened early this morning. You know the woman that was brought in?” He gestured to Lin. “My friend over here saved her. Pulled her out of a burning building that almost collapsed on them. And you know what’s crazy about this whole thing? It turns out, she’s her soulmate! Sees color and everything. Told me my eyes were blue in a way like it was out of a romance novel or something.”

Xia glanced over at her from where she sat and bit her lip. She was a relatively young nurse, probably in her early 20s if she had to guess, still young enough to not view the world in a jaded manner like most people who couldn't see color were. Lin began to feel hopeful seeing that his friend was slowly winning her over. Kun was giving her that ‘look at me, I’m so adorable’ smile, the one that always seemed to be so popular with ladies when they were in the academy. Never before had Lin appreciated her friend’s flirtatious nature so much.

“Can you at least tell us if she’s going to be okay? You can understand why she’s so worried, can’t you? I mean, the woman just found her soulmate. The love of her life. She doesn’t even know her name! And she doesn’t even know she has a soulmate because she was knocked out when she found her. Can you believe that? So far it’s kind of tragic. A one-sided love story, if you will. Can’t blame the woman for being a little high strung, can you? I’m hoping that her new lady love is going to be able to loosen her up a bit. And believe me, I’ve known her almost my whole life – I’m willing to bet she’s going to be the better half of the duo.”

“Thanks, Kun,” Lin said, dryly. 

Kun waved her off.

Xia sighed, swayed by Kun’s compelling argument, and turned to her computer. She clicked a few key strokes and brought up the information needed. “You didn’t hear this from me, got it?”.

“Heard what?” Kun shrugged, feigning an air of innocence around him. Lin eagerly stepped up to the counter as Xia read off the information from her screen.

“It looks like she’s got a concussion and a sprained ankle, according to doctor’s notes. She hit her head on something when she fell and she’s currently on oxygen to help clear the smoke inhalation from her lungs. She’s expected to fully recover and will most likely be discharged in a day or two if things keep going well. We’re still waiting on a family member to show up so we can get some paperwork signed.” She smiled at Lin. “She’s on the third floor, room number 26. Don’t stay too long in there, okay?”

Lin grinned, and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you so much!”.

“Yeah, thanks doll,” Kun winked at Xia, which caused her to giggle and then they were off to the elevators.

“You know, I used to really hate it when you flirted with girls that were at the academy. But at this moment in time, all I can really think is ‘thank spirits for Kun’s penchant ways for charming women.’ You totally came through, Kun.” Lin told him as the elevator doors closed and began moving.

Kun flipped her off and rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

The doors opened and they moved along the hallway until they found room twenty-six. She stopped just short of the room, suddenly feeling nervous. There were curtains covering the window of her room so she couldn’t see her but she could feel her somewhat. The soul bond had already started to form and she could feel the tingling in her spine from being a few feet away from her. She looked at Kun. “Give me a few minutes, okay?”

Kun nodded, moving to sit on the chairs that were right outside her room. “I’ll be right here.”

The room was quiet when she entered, her attention immediately focusing on the woman laying in the bed in front of her. “Hi beautiful,” she whispered to her as she moved closer, her eyes roaming over her, observing the bandage that covered part of her forehead and the oxygen mask that was currently covering her face. Slowly, she reached out for her hand, rubbing her thumb across the top. Little bolts of electricity were slowly running up her hand to her forearm and she reveled in the feeling. “Is this what it’s like to meet your other half?” she asked her, expecting no response. Her eyes took in the silver of her hair and the tanned of her skin and she swallowed, unable to completely believe how she’d ended up with such a gorgeous woman for a soulmate.

It was amazing the difference she felt already even though the soul bond hadn’t yet been completed. Lin had always been content with how her life had turned out. She had grown up in a nice home, when her sister allow it and wasn't causing troubles, had dependable friends that were more like family, and her career was going well. Really, she didn’t have much to complain about. But with everything she had in her life, there was always something missing. And now she finally found it. She found her.

And already she was so important.

She gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Wake up soon, okay? I can finally see the world in color and I’m dying to go out and see everything but I won’t do it yet. Not without you. I’d really like to explore all the colors with you.”

Giving her one last glance, she let go of her hand. Already feeling the loss, she turned and headed back outside the room and made her way over to where Kun sat. She lowered herself into the chair next to her best friend and let out a sigh. “She was sleeping,” she mumbled, leaning back and resting her head against the wall. Her eyes took in the bright lights in the ceiling, moving over to the various paintings that were hung on the walls. Colors swirled around her and she found herself unable to look away, wishing she could have someone to share what she was feeling at that moment.

“At least you know that she’s going to be okay. She’ll be up in no time and pretty soon, you guys will probably be making goo-goo eyes at each other.” Kun paused. “What’s it like?” he asked, quietly.

A minute of silence passed as Lin thought of the best way to describe it. “It’s… it’s overwhelming. Seeing color is amazing though, Kun. It’s like everything is all bright and new, and there’s just so much to discover.” She sucked in air and let out a loud breath and faced her friend. “But it also feels like something isn’t quite right. Like I can’t go out and completely enjoy it because I’m stuck in limbo, waiting for something. Waiting for her to catch up.”

“Well, you’ve waited your whole life for your soulmate. You can wait a little longer.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, but managed a smile. “Thanks for coming with me.”

“What are friends for?” Kun yawned. “We’re going to be here awhile, let’s get some shut eye while we still have a few hours.”

“Right.” Lin made herself as comfortable as she could while sitting upright in a chair. Glancing one last time at her door, she shut her eyes and slipped off into a dreamless sleep.

\--

There was a tingling sensation running up her spine and the feeling of someone watching her. Lin jolted awake, her senses on high alert and immediately scanning the area around her in case there was any danger nearby. Next to her, Kun was still asleep, snoring away and oblivious to the world around him. It was 8:47am, Lin briefly noted the time from the clock that was hanging on the wall, before her eyes landed on the man that was sitting in a chair across her and was currently glaring daggers at her.

“Who are you?” the man growled. “And why have you been sleeping outside my sister’s hospital room all night?”

“Um… uh… I’m Lin,” she stammered. “Lin Beifong.”

His gaze was slightly intimidating but in a funny way, still Lin held her ground. The man stared at her, regarding her with a look of suspicion for a moment before leaning forward slightly in his chair. “Beifong, huh?” He folded his hands in front of him, elbows resting on his knees. “You’re the one that pulled her out of the fire?”

Lin stared right back. “Yes. That was me.”

“Well, that’s good and all. But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. You did your job. It's done.”

She shook her head, maintaining eye contact. “No, it's not,” she said, quietly. “I didn't want her to wake up alone. Because of her, I see color.”

The man was visibly surprised. “No shit. I don’t know what I was expecting you to say, but that was certainly not it.” He paused. “You’re her soulmate, huh? Prove it. What color is this chair?”

Lin narrowed her eyes. “It’s navy blue. And the shirt you’re wearing is purple. And those flowers on that table over there are yellow,” she began pointing to various things all over the place. “That girl’s hairclip is orange, that’s brown, this thing over here is pink, and over there – that’s maroon. Is that enough proof for you?”

The man’s lips curled into a smile and suddenly the rough exterior from before melted away, and he chuckled. “Alright, I believe you.” He extended his hand and for the first time, Lin noticed a gold ring adorning the fourth finger of his left hand. “Bumi. It’s nice to meet you Lin.”

“So, you’re her brother?” Lin grasped Bumi’s hand and shook it firmly.

“Older brother if you wanna get technical but yeah, we’re family. Thanks for saving her, ma’m.”

She shook her head. “I’m just glad she’s going to be okay. I don’t think I would’ve been able to stand it if something happened to her.”

“Crazy, isn’t it? How important your soulmate becomes the moment you see them?”

“When did you start seeing color?” Lin asked, interested.

“Going on four years now. Just celebrated our anniversary, in fact.”

“Wow.” Lin looked at the other man with fascination. “That’s amazing. I don’t know a lot of people that can see color. It’s really mind-boggling.”

Bumi hummed, nodding.

There was a moment of silence, and then –

“What’s her name?” Lin blurted out. Then she blushed and ran a hand through her gray hair. “I mean… uh… it’s just, I’ve been dying to know.”

Bumi began chuckling. “It’s Kya.”

Kya. Her name is Kya.

“Kya…” she tested out her name slowly, loving the way it rolled easily off her tongue. Lin smiled. “It’s beautiful.”

Before Bumi could respond, there was a sudden loud beeping coming from the pager that was currently looped to his belt. Beside her, Kun jerked awake, his pager also going off. “Where’s the fire?” Kun asked, jumping to his feet and looking around in a daze, confusion marring his features. He blinked for a moment. “Oh right. We’re still at the hospital.”

Lin looked at her pager as she stood from her chair. “We’re being dispatched,” she looked at Bumi. “Duty calls.”

“Be careful,” Bumi nodded.

“Lin! We gotta book it!” Kun called from where he was already standing by the elevator doors.

“I’ll be back,” Lin gave Bumi a look that this was a promise she intended on keeping. “When she wakes up, can you tell her I’ll be back?”

“I’ll be sure to tell her.”

With those words, Lin took off.

The fire that they had to fight that morning was a big one. One of those ‘almost impossible to believe it was happening’ scenarios. It was an awful fire, but at least the situation hadn’t ended tragically. A pipe had broken in the the boiler room in the basement of a high school, which meant that a gas leak had somehow caused an explosion to happen, causing the chaos to last most of the day and well into the night. Only a few students and a couple teachers had been badly injured but no deaths had occurred. It was an ideal situation, considering the circumstances. The fire had been extremely hard to contain and in the aftermath, a day and a half passed before she could make it back to the hospital.

Lin felt her heart stop, standing in the doorway as she stared into the room. The curtains were drawn back, the bed was neatly made, and the machines that had been surrounding the bed were put away. A deafening sound filled her ears and she could feel her heartbeat pounding with despair, unable to stop the panicked feeling that was spreading through her body. 

The room was empty.

And she was gone.


	3. Sometimes Fairy Tales Come True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way I'm sorry about the way I put Aang on this but this is the feeling I got from the series.
> 
> Anyway, here's finally Kya's POV.

All her life, Kya had dreamed of seeing color.

When she was a little girl, she often daydreamed that her soulmate would come riding in on a white horse, ready to save her from the clutches of evil. Their eyes would connect and their worlds would turn to color before their lips would meet in a sweet kiss. It was the kind of perfect fairy tale story that all little girls loved and wish would come true.

"A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks", her mother Katara, once described. "It’s the epitome of love and partnership, Kya. Your soulmate will make you feel entirely whole, healed, and intact. You will feel safe with this person, always".

"How will you know when you meet your soulmate, mama?" She remembered asking, enraptured by everything her mother was telling her.

"Oh my precious, girl. You will know when you meet your soulmate, because you will see wonderful, beautiful colors! It will be like nothing else, I promise you. When you see them for the first time, the world will no longer be black, white or gray. And you will be so very, very happy".

Her mother often told her bedtime stories involving soulmates and a world where colors swirled together in perfect patterns and filled with beauty. Kya loved the stories her mother told, longed to see the world in it’s coloration, impatient for the day when she would get to meet her other half. She couldn’t wait to fall in love.

But things weren’t always what they seemed.

Unfortunately, life was not all roses and butterflies that her mother painted it as. When Kya was seven years old, her father started to spend more time with her younger brother, leaving her and her older brother out – shattering the illusion that her parents had wanted them all the same and breaking their little family apart. As it turned out, her father never notice that her and Bumi weren’t spending as much time with him as they did with their mother. Rather, they were two teens who just were causing mischievousness until Bumi decided to join the army and she went to college. It was an act of desperation of two lonely souls to find themselves, both of whom had gotten tired of waiting for someone who just was too busy. She had wanted a family, and she couldn't stand feeling so lonely, so after college she went to the see the world. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t see color – she’d wanted to see another places and meet new friends and made the choice that she while she did want to wait for her solmate she didn’t have to around Republic City for a while. After her father died and they weren’t exactly on speaking terms, she decided to go back to Republic City to be closer to her mother and brothers, after all, time wasn’t something that Kya wanted to waste with her loved ones as she kew and saw the damage that it had done on her family.

No relationship was perfect, and as Kya grew older, she could see that when people got with someone who wasn’t their soulmate they were content with theirs lifes, but weren’t exactly happy. It wasn’t what she had imagined love would be like as a little girl, and somehow, she just couldn’t let go of that dream. And thus, Kya swore to herself, that she wouldn’t make the mistake of been with someone who wasn’t her soulmate. No matter how lonely she got, she wouldn’t ever settle down with someone who couldn’t give her a world filled with color and risk bringing a another person into a relationship based on lies and false hope. Her heart hardened, and Kya moved on, no longer dreaming about meeting her soulmate and instead, focused on a future where she could make herself as happy as she could be until her soulmate could find her. She never voiced it out loud, but she still held out hope everyday that she would see color.

I’m leaving it up to fate. If I’m meant to meet my soulmate in this lifetime, then it’ll happen when I least expect it.

I just have to have faith that everything will work out.

\--

Son of a spirit, why is everything hurting?

Kya groaned as she slowly woke up to the sound of machines beeping steadily by her ear. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, taking in the unfamiliar bed that she was lying on and the strange white walls with unknown paintings. Her first instinct was to panic but tried to keep calm, knowing that overreacting wouldn’t get her anywhere. She was definitely not in her own bed. And this was most definitely not her apartment. In fact, the only thing that was actually familiar to her was that there was no color whatsoever. She still saw everything in black, white or gray.

Oh right, there was a fire at my apartment.

Wow, I’m lucky to be alive.

“Well, look who decided to join the land of the living.”

She glanced over and found Bumi smiling at her, looking visibly relieved that she was wide awake. Her older brother looked the same as ever, dressed in a pair of jeans, a plaid shirt and his army jacket. He stood up from where he sat in the corner and moved over to stand next to her bed. He leaned over to look at her.

“You sure gave us quite a scare, Kya. Do you remember what happened?”

Kya shot him a look and rolled her eyes, unable to verbally respond because of the oxygen mask that was currently covering her face. The annoyed look must’ve conveyed her message though, because Bumi just chuckled.

“I guess you do. At least your memory still seems to be intact after hitting your head. You sure you know who you are?”

As tired as she was, she still managed to lift her hand and flip her brother off. Bumi let out another laugh.

There was a knock and they both turned towards the doorway to see a woman wearing a white lab coat walk through. The woman smiled when she saw that Kya was awake. “Ah, excellent! I’m so glad to see you’re awake Miss Kya. I’m Dr. Kumiko … I’m just here to do a check up on you.” The minute the doctor removed the oxygen mask from her face, Kya began coughing nonstop. “Don’t worry, Kya. This is a completely normal reaction,” Kumiko assured her as she placed a stethoscope against Kya’s chest to listen to her lungs. “You’ll be coughing for a few days because of smoke inhalation, but when we looked at your x-rays earlier, all signs showed that it’ll clear up in no time. You have to take it easy for a few days because of your concussion and your ankle.”

Kya groaned, coughing. “When can I go back to work?”

“I would suggest staying off your feet for at least two weeks to let the sprain heal up. Absolutely no dancing, but light walks should be okay,” Kumiko leaned back and wrapped her stethoscope around her neck. The doctor smiled. “I’m going to discharge you today. Come back for a check up in two weeks and we’ll proceed from there.”

“Thanks Doc,” Bumi replied as the woman left the room. He looked over at his sister, who was currently pouting as she leaned back into her pillows. “Relax,” he gave her an amused glance. “So you get two weeks off. Think of it as a vacation!”

“It’s two weeks, Bumi!”

“I know the new dance studio and the clinic are your life, but you’re just going to have to get someone to cover for you. They’ll be alright without you for a couple of weeks,” Bumi paused, but then grinned. “Besides, you might want to take advantage of the time off.”

Kya coughed and then looked at her brother suspiciously. “Why?”

Bui just stared at her, a shit-eating grin on his face, his arms folded across his chest.

“What?” Kya glared. “What, Bumi? What is it you know, that I don’t?” 

“I know who your soulmate is.”

Kya froze. A white-hot feeling filled her as her shock at hearing those words spread throughout her body. Her heart began pounding and her breath caught. Whatever she thought that Bumi was going to say, this was definitely not it. “What?” she was breathless. She stared at her brother, hardly daring to blink, afraid that somehow she had misheard things. She gathered herself. 

“Explain!” she demanded.

“The firefighter who pulled you out of the fire… the one who saved you,” Bumi smiled. “She’s your soulmate. She said she saw color when she rescued you.”

“Are you sure?” She sucked in a breath. “Did you talk to her? She’s really my soulmate?”

He nodded. “She slept outside your hospital room all night after you were brought in because no one knew who you were and she didn’t want you to wake up alone. She named every color correctly when I asked her to prove it. And Kya, the only reason she left the hospital was because her job needed her. There’s some kind of explosion at a high school downtown. She really didn’t want to leave the hospital until I promised to tell you that she was going to come back. I think she’s for real, I really do.”

She let out a breath, her heart pounding. “Wow,” she whispered, leaning further into her pillows. “My soulmate…” Suddenly, Kya sat up straight, near instant panic filling her. “Bumi! The doctor said I was being discharged today! What if she comes back when I’m already gone?! Did she leave a way for me to contact her?”

“Ah, well… no,” her brother paused. “She kinda had to rush outta here. But it can’t be too hard to find her, right? All we have to do is call the fire department and look for her. Her name is Lin Beifong.”

“Lin Beifong,” Kya murmured softly to herself, nodding. “Okay.” And then she grinned, excitement taking over her features.

Don’t you worry, Lin Beifong.

I won’t give up until I find you.

\--

Two days passed before she was able to track down the information that Lin Beifong worked at Firehouse Station No. 38, located about thirty minutes from where Kya was currently staying with Bumi and his family. While it had been a stressful two days, Kya thrived in the predicament that she unexpectedly found herself in.

Bumi had been right about taking the needed time off from work – she was completely full of energy, determined to track down the woman that had saved her life and to also deal with everything else in between. She spent countless hours on the phone with her insurance company, determining the damage the fire had done to her apartment. As it turned out, the fire had started because of some faulty wiring that her landlord hadn’t bothered getting fixed when he should have and as a result, almost her entire building was burned down. And so, she had to start looking for a new place to live… had to buy new clothes… shop for new furniture… The list of things that she had to do kept piling up and through it all, there was only one thing on Kya’s mind.

“Are you sure this dress looks good?” Kya stared at herself in the full-length mirror in front of her. The outfit she was wearing hugged her curves perfectly but she couldn’t help wondering if her dress complimented her. It was at times like these that she hated seeing the world in black and white.

“You look lovely, Kya,” Her sister-law’s reflection appeared next to her in the mirror, smiling at her. Gao reached out and smoothed out a non-existent wrinkle, and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Your hair is this beautiful shade of silver and the deep blue color of your dress helps it to stand out. You’ll knock your soulmate off her feet, I promise you.”

“I only have one chance to make a good first impression,” Kya took a deep breath to try and calm the anxiety she was feeling. “Considering what I looked like when I left the hospital, I need to erase whatever image she has of me in her mind. I can’t believe she saw me covered in dirt and grime. Imagine what that must’ve looked like in color.”

Bumi snorted from where he sat on the couch. “The woman’s your soulmate. You never have to care about what you look like ever again, and she’ll still think you’re beautiful.” Kya glared at him from where she stood and Bumi threw his hands up in the air in a ‘I give up’ gesture. “Must be a girl thing,” he muttered to himself.

Kya turned back to her reflection. “Guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

The thirty-minute drive that it took to get from Bumi’s place to Firehouse Station No. 38 went by too fast for Kya’s liking. Parking her vehicle in the visitor’s parking lot, she took several deep breaths to try and calm herself down. She’d never been so nervous in her entire life! Reaching for the basket that held banana chocolate chip muffins (her best recipe) that she’d spent most of the morning baking, she exited her car and steeled her resolve. She was Kya, and she’d spent her whole life dreaming of seeing color and meeting her soulmate. And she’d found her. Now, it was her turn to find her. Gripping the basket tightly, she pulled open the doors to the firehouse. Her sandals clicked against the stone floor, echoing loudly with every step she took.

“Can I help you?”

She turned to see a man dressed in his fireman’s uniform, walking towards her. Pushing her disappointment aside, she smiled at the man. “Um, yes. I’m looking for Lin Beifong, is she here?”

The man’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. You’re her, aren’t you? Oh man, this is amazing! You have no idea how much Lin’s been kicking herself for not leaving her number or some way for you to get in touch with her.” He paused, looking at her more closely. 

“You are Kya, right?”

She bit the corner of her lip and nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“Wow, she sure is a lucky lady.” The man grinned and held out his hand. She shook it. “I’m Kun. Come on, Lin’s in her room. I’ll take you to her.”

She followed Kun up a short flight of stairs and then down a hallway. The second her eyes landed on her, Kya stumbled slightly, her hand reaching out to rest against the doorway to steady herself. Color immediately filled her vision, overwhelming her with so many emotions that she hadn’t been prepared to handle. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest and she couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle, so much joy racing through her as she stared at the woman in front of her.

Lin was sitting at the edge of her bed, her head in her hands, slumped over in a dejected manner. She straightened the moment she heard her laugh though, and her head snapped up. She could tell she was frozen in shock, and she enjoyed her slack-jawed expression at the sight of her as their gazes connected. Blue eyes met green, and she took a step forward, unable to stop the smile that spread across her lips.

This was it.

This was it.

This was what she’d been waiting for her whole life. It was a dream come true.

And it was incredibly life changing, her world shifting in an instant.

I can’t imagine my life without her anymore. 

Kya took a deep breath, and grinned. “Hi.”


	4. And it All Ends Happily

Her eyes roamed over her as she stood in her doorway, unable to quite believe that she was actually standing there in front of her. It was as if time had slowed down, the noises all around her were muted and all she could focus on was her. She was a vision standing there dressed a deep blue sundress and with her silver hair flowing loosely around her back in her pony tail that immediately made her fingers twitch, the desire to see if her hair felt as soft as it looked already forming.

She took a step forward and beamed at her. “Hi,” she said.

Her heart leapt to her throat at hearing her voice. It was low and alluring. Sexy. There was a slight rasp to it that sent a bolt of desire racing through her down to her very core. Lin swallowed as her eyes drank her in. Her hair was incredibly silver, and it made her blue eyes stand out all the more as she stared at her. She was beautiful, breath-taking.  _Stunning._

_And she belonged with her._

It was an amazing feeling.

She was still staring at her, waiting for her to respond. “H-hi,” Lin scrambled to her feet and crossing over to her in an instant. She stood in front of her, already wanting to pull her into her arms but refrained, unsure of what she should do. Her emotions were running high. One minute she was depressed beyond belief at letting her soulmate slip through her fingers and not leaving a way for her to contact her and the next, she was in front of her and now she was so incredibly  _happy_ that it was all overwhelming. She ran a hand through her hair nervously and licked her lips. “Hi,” she repeated. She let out a breath and suddenly she was grinning, her smile a mile wide. “You found me.”

Kya laughed and she fell in love with the sound, letting herself revel in her presence. “I think you found me first,” she teased.

Excitement raced through her. Now she was finally able to introduce herself to her properly. “I’m Lin. Lin Beifong.”

“Kya.”

 _Kya. So that’s how her name sounds coming from her._ “I went back to the hospital, I really did,” she told her. “I’m sorry I never left my number with your brother. I even went to the police to try and find you but they said it was against privacy laws to give out any information.”

“It’s okay.” She nodded, believing her. “I was discharged about two hours after I woke up. I called thirty-seven firehouses in the past two days before I was able to find a Lin Beifong that worked for Firehouse Station No. 38.” She looked up at her through her eyelashes. “It all worked out in the end.” She held out the basket that she’d been holding. “I made these for you, they’re banana chocolate chip muffins,” she let out a nervous breath. “Thank you for saving me.”

The baked goods inside smelled heavenly as she took the basket from her and placed it on her desk next to where they were standing. She shook her head, waving off her thanks. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to make these. I was just doing my job. I would do that for anybody.” She took a step closer to her and her eyes searched her face. “I’m just glad it brought me to you. Are you alright?”

Kya nodded. “No lasting damage. I just have to take it easy and be careful with my ankle for the next couple of weeks.” She took another step closer to her, so that she was practically in her space. She tilted her head. “Your eyes are green,” she said, wonderment filling her tone.

Every instinct within her was telling her to pull Kya into her arms, and she surrendered to it. She moved slowly so that she was aware of her intentions but she didn’t seem to mind as she slowly wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close to her. She practically melted into her embrace, her head immediately resting on her shoulder and she took a step back to look slightly down up at her. She was taller; her tall frame barely towered over her as Lin brought her other hand up and cupped her face, her thumb slowly rubbing over the curve of her left cheek. Kya sighed happily, her arms wrapping around her waist and she snuggled into her arms more securely. “And yours are blue,” Lin told her, smiling at her tenderly. 

_I think it’s my new favorite color._

 

She smelled like lavender and she breathed in deep as they stood there for a few minutes, locked in an embrace that felt so right to the both of them. The soul bond was slowly working its magic, linking them together. The feeling was tenacious, a profound and lingering emotion that no words could encompass. Everything felt like it was being completed. They were united, somehow brought together by the circumstances of fate.  _It was incredible and wonderful and amazing._

Kya pulled away from her slightly and smiled. “Do you want to take a walk?” she asked, eager to get out and explore the world now that she could see color, intent on having every new experience to be shared with her. “We could go to the park and walk along the river.”

Lin was about to agree but then her face fell as realization hit. “I’m on call,” she explained apologetically, shaking her head. “I can’t leave in case there’s a fire.”

A cough sounded from the doorway, and both Kya and Lin turned to see Kun grinning at them from where he stood leaning against the door frame. “Forgot I was here, huh?” he asked, watching the two of them with an amused glance. They blushed, having been so caught up in one another that they hadn’t remembered they had an audience. “Go,” Kun told them. “It’s not everyday you get to meet your soulmate. We can cover you for one day.”

Minutes later, Lin and Kya exited the doors of the station, their hands intertwined. They stood at the entrance doors, looking out past the parking lot and towards the park across the street. The sun was shining, a soft breeze blowing in the wind. Lin looked over at Kya, unable to stop herself from grinning. She returned her gaze, her expression happy, excited, and hopeful.

 

They were together and the possibilities for their future were endless.

 


End file.
